>Handy tip: poking someone you just met in the stomach and asking them if they’re pregnant probably isn’t the best way to start a friendship.
Unless they’re pregnant.
I met June and a couple students on the backstreet for lunch. While I was eating, I felt a sharp jab against my stomach. I look up and a girl asks me, “What is wrong with your belly? Are you pregnant?”
I did not know how to react. In China, it’s normal for people to comment on others’ appearances. Hey, you look fat! Okay, thanks for caring.
Keyword: caring. Compassion, if you will. They’ll tell you you’re an obese pig, but it’s only because they care. Don’t believe me? Still seeing this through an American lens? Then consider:
In January I helped a guy with his oral English test. Being from the countryside, his English was terrible, and I tried to help him satisfy this silly national requirement as best I could.
I had recently quit smoking and gained a little weight. On his way out, with no warning, he patted my stomach. “You are…” He paused. “I do not know the word.”
FAT!
I quietly showed him out. He capped off the whole experience with a most practical solution.
“You need to exercise.”
Xie xie.
